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My "Clerty" Little Secret

Hello, my name is Rita, and I'm the product of a neat freak.

My mom washes her dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. When she was working and going to school, she hired a cleaning lady to come in once a week, to "save time" - but she always cleaned the house prior to the cleaning lady's arrival. You'd be hard pressed to find a dust bunny under her furniture or a sticky patch on her kitchen counters.

... Which is why she'd probably be appalled at my "clerty" little secret.

Let me explain the meaning of clerty. It's a term my sister Amy and I coined, and it's a combination of clean and dirty, used to describe any item that isn't exactly clean but couldn't really be classified as dirty. Like a pot you used to hard-boil eggs or cook pasta, you know? Or a plate that had, say, a sliced tomato or apple on it. It's not like there's a coating of grease or any stubborn crusty spots ... so what's wrong with running it under some hot water and calling it good? Where our mother would wash it with soap (and then probably run it through the dishwasher for good measure), Amy and I would just give it a thorough rinse, and voila: it's good to go.

Dishes aren't the only things that can be clerty. On the rare occasion that one of my kids manages to keep his shirt or jeans free of dirt and food, you'd better believe I'm folding it up and putting it back in his closet. Why add to the laundry pile? You know what they say: if it ain't broke, don't fix it. And that goes for clerty items. If it ain't dirty ...

I know my mom will read this, so now the secret's out. I'm sure the next time she comes to my house, she'll be quietly paranoid that she might be eating from a clerty dish. I promise, Mom, I'll scour everything just for you. ;)

LOL! My clerty girls! You certainly remind me of my Grandma Nora, who always said we have to eat a certain amount of dirt in our lives anyway, so it might as well come from our own homes. I'm not sure where my "clean-freakiness" comes from, but I'm glad you didn't inherit it! :o)

I am with ya' on this one! Who has time for anything but 'clerty'. This is my new favorite word. I am glad I know have a name for this! =)I also use this tactic on cleaning off the high chair tray. Why take the time to wipe it off if there's just a few little crumbs?

I'm personally with you on the clerty laundry! Towels-hello?! Nobody in our house uses a towel less than 3 times before it goes in the hamper! I'm the same with our pants, but Zane's laundry...it's pretty much DIRTY. :-)

Laversa and Amanda - yep and yep! High chair tray, I'm totally with you ... I just give it a wipe down (and sometimes spray it with Clorox Anywhere Spray because it makes me feel all sanitary, LOL). And towels? Of course! Just let it dry and use it again next time - because it's not like you aren't CLEAN when you dry off with it!